Fire-lighter



(No Model.)

W. HARLES.

FIRE LIGHTER.

N0. 411,,335. Patented Sept. 17, 1889.

Ae-s't/ Quid/7202mm: 7157?: m J/arjes N. PETERS. vholwumo m mnWashington. 0. c,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM I'IARLE S, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

FIRE-LIGHTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 411,335, datedSeptember 17, 1889.

Application filed September 4, 1888. Serial No. 284.557. (No model.)

To coZZ whom it may concern.- 4

Be it known that I, WILLIAM HARLES, of the city of St. Louis, in theState of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inFire-Lighters, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formingpart of this specification.

This invention is an improvement on my invention patented June 19, 1888,No. 384,842, and relates to a device for lighting a fire automaticallyat any predetermined time; and the invention consists in features ofnovelty hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

Figure I is a perspective View of the device, showing its relation to astove. Fig. II is a front view of an alar1n-clock and its case, formingpart of the apparatus. Fig. III is a rear view of the case, and showsthe springdrum that carries the operating-cord, with part broken away toshow the seating of the cord and the boxing of the spring that actuatesthe drum. Fig. IV is a horizontal section on line V V, Fig. II, andshows the means of actuating the trigger-pawl to release the spring.FigV is a rear view of the drum with part of the back plate broken awayto show the trigger-pawl in engagement with the spring drum. Fig. VI isa like view with the trigger tripped and the back plate of thespring-drum removed to show the spring. Fig. VII is a View of the platethat carries the Springdrum, and shows the trip-lug of the trigger.

Referring to the drawings, in which similar figures of referenceindicate like parts in all the views, 1 represents a stove, and 2 is anysuitable match-striker to which my invention is connected.

13 represents an alarm-clock, and 14 the case in which it is hung on thehook 15, with which its ring 16 engages. The case itself is preferablyhung on the wall by an eyeletcatch 17 on a hook 18, but may, ifpreferred, be secured on a shelf, orin any other suitable way.

19 represents the disks, and 20 the hoop, of a metal drum, and 21 is acoil-spring, which is secured at its inner end by a rivet 22 to an axle23, that passes through perforations in the center of the drum-disks andwhose inner projecting end has a bearing 24 in the iron plate 25. Thesaid plate is secured inside the case in which the clock is hung, to theback of which case it is attached by screws 26,that pass through theholes 27 in the plate and are screwed into the back of said case. Thespring-drum has rotary movement on the axle 23, and the flattened outerend 29 of the axle 23 of the drum is tight-seated in the slot 30 in thecenter of the iron plate 31, that spans the circular hole 28 in the backof the case, to which it is secured by screws 32. The outer end of thecoil-spring is secured to the hoop of the drum that incases it by therivet 33.

34 represents the ratchet-pawl that surmounts the spring-drum, and whichhas loose bearings 35 on the pivot-bolt 36, whose fast end is riveted orotherwise secured to the iron plate 25. ratchet-tooth 37, which, as thespring-drum is being rotated to screw up the spring-coil, runs freelyover the periphery of the inner The ratchet-pawl has a projecting diskof the drum, dropping into the two 7 and is integral therewith, and 40is a spurlug on the lower end of the same. This triptrigger works withinan elongated slot 41, that passes through the iron plate 25, and thespur-lug 40 projects above the rising wing 42 of the alarm-winding key43, so that when the alarm-clock has been wound and the alarm set to thetime it is desired that it should start to run down and that the fireshould be lighted the rising wing 42 of the alarm-key trips or elevatesthe trigger of the ratchet-pawl 34, so that it releases its ratchet holdof the spring drum, which, under the actuation of its spring,immediately revolves, and in so doing rewinds the operating cord, andthereby striking and igniting the matches that light the fire.

44 represent two lugs which project inwardly from the iron plate and maybe cast integral therewith, and which lugs have recessed notches 45,that embrace the alarmclock near the middle of its case and hold itsteady in position.

46 represents the operating-cord, which is secured to the match-striker.The'other end of said cord is passed through a hole 48 in the bottom orside of the back of the case 14, in which the alarm-clock is hung, andpasses through a channelgroove 49 in said back, and, entering betweenthe twin disks of the spring-drum, the end is secured by passing itthrough the hole 50 in the inner disk, close outside the hoop 20, thatincases the springchamber. After passing the end of the cord throughsaid hole it may be knotted or otherwise secured.

The operation. of the invention is as follows: The operating-cord, whichhas been secured to the inner disk of the spring-drum, as stated, iswound around the drum within the flanges of the twin-disks, leaving thefrictiontab outside the clock-case. The incased clock is then hung up,as shown in Fig. I, or it may be secured 011 a clock-shelf or in anyother suitable position. The distance from the stove or grate in whichthe fire is to be lighted is not material, for the operating-cord can belengthened to any reasonable extent or reduced in length. Now it will beseen that when the cord is drawn on it will rotate the spring-drum, fromwhich it. is being withdrawn, and at the same time wind up the coilspring within it, which cannot unwind, for the ratchet-pawl engages inone of the recessed ratchet-seats in the inner disk of the springdrumand prevents the reaction of the spring. The match-striker 2 is thenplaced in position in contact with the paper that protrudes from thegrate. The clock having been wound and set and the alarm set to start torun down at the time it is desired that the fire should be lighted, atsaid time the rising wing 42 of the winder-key of the alarm elevates thespur-lug 40 of the trigger 39, which trips the ratchet-pawl 34, so thatit releases its ratchet hold of the spring-drum, which then, under theactuation of its spring, immediately revolves, and in so doing rewindsthe operating cord around the drum, which in its first movement operatesthe match-striker, thereby striki'ng or igniting the matches and throughthem the paper, portions of which protrude from between the bars of thegrate of the stove or fire-place, thus lighting the fire which has beenlaid over night.

In the winter especially the use of this invention is a greatconvenience, and in invalid households it is very useful the year round,where ata stated time in the nighta fire may be automatically kindled.

I have shown the operating-cord descending from the bottom of the backof the clockcase in Figs. I, II, and III, as it is the most favorableoutlet for the cord when the clockcase is suspended, as shown in Fig. I,from a hook; but when the clock-case is placed on a shelf, or from anyother cause it is not 0011- venient to have the exit for the cordthrough the bottom, it can be made in the side, as also shown in Fig. I,in which case the cord will ascend to the hole in the side of the case,as shown in broken line in said figure.

It will be seen that I have avoided the difficulties experienced in myformer invention, on which, as stated, this is an improvement, and alsoin overcoming like difficulties .in

other inventions of the same class, by avoiding the use of weights asbeing unsatisfactory in their accumulative impetus, that causes aconcussion at the terminal of their descent, whereas that of the springexhausts itself without violence. It will also be seen that no part ofthe device is left near the heat of the fire after the lighting of thesame, for all parts of the device are remote from the fire except thecord, and it is withdrawn also at the time of striking the matches;also, the cord being automatically withdrawn to the clock-case when notset and immediately after use, the whole apparatus is out of the way. Itwill also be seen that the wings of the winder-key, after tripping thetrigger of the ratchet-pawl, and so having effected the lighting of thefire and given a short and sufficient alarm, are then stayed from acontinuous rotation and ringing of the alarm by the engagement of thetrigger of the ratchet-pawl with the top of the slot 41 while pressedupward from beneath by the Wing of the alarmkey. If, on the other hand,it is desired that the alarm should run during the whole of its usualcourse, all that is necessary is to lower the hook 15, by which theclock is suspended, so that the top of the trip-trigger will not comeinto contact with the top of the slot 41, and in this way the wings ofthe key are allowed to pass freely around during the whole course of thealarm,as the triptrigger of the ratchet-pawl has then full vertical playin said slot to rise out of contact with the wings of the alarnnkey.

I claim as my invention 1. In a fire-lighter, the combination of thecord for attachment to a match-striker, the spring-drum upon which saidcord is adapted to be wound, having ratchet-teeth, the coiled springwithin and attached to said drum, the ratchet-pawl 34, adapted to engagesaid ratchet-teeth, the pendent trigger integral with said pawl, havingthe trip-lug, and the alarm-clock having a winged winding-key arrangedto engage said trip-lug and raise said pawl, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with the alarm-clock having the winged winding-key,of a springactuated drum having ratchetteeth, the plate 25, arrangedbetween said clock and drum, a pawl adapted to engage said ratchet-teethand having a trigger projecting through the slot 41 within reach of saidwinged key, and

IIO

which said cord passes, and the pawl 34:, adapted to engage saidratchet-teeth and having a trip-trigger provided with a spur-111garranged to be struck by the wings of said key to disengage said pawl,substantially as set forth.

WILLIAM HARLES.

In presence of- BENJN. A. KNIGHT, Enw. S. KNIGHT.

